Familiar, But Unique: Writing StarWarsNotStarWars

An Exclusive Look at the Creative Process Behind Galactic Outlaws!

I wanted to touch base with my blog readers and shed more light on what Nick Cole and I are doing here in Galaxy’s Edge: Galactic Outlaws. We know that you’re fans of the original trilogy. And we know that you’re looking for something that recaptures the magic of those films. That’s our goal, too. We even registered StarWarsNotStarWars.com as a sort of exclamation point for the project!

It’s been said before, but we’re just playing with action figures out in the backyard. I remember playing with my Kenner Star Wars figures when I was a kid. Often that meant reenacting the films. I remember getting embarrassed when my Dad would play with me when the time came for the princess to kiss her beau as the imaginary Death Star exploded above the forest moon like fireworks.

I hated to include that sort of mushy stuff in my play but, hey, that’s what happened in the movie.

But sometimes repeating the lines grew a little stale, so I did what most kids do and created my own adventures. Who says that Lando didn’t lead a contingent of Stormtroopers against a den of Wampas? I made it so. But with this project, it’s not enough to take characters or even character types and have them live out in an expanded universe story. In fact, we think you’d be a bit disappointed if all you ended up with was a counterfeit version of something great that came before.

So…how do we recapture the fun, excitement, humor, and action inspired by The Maker? (I mean George Lucas, not THE MAKER)

The answer involves something Nick and I call being familiar, but unique. The ambiance of the story is easy enough: Blasters, Starships, hyperspace, exotic species, unrealized tech, rogues, royalty…all of that is laid out before us. But to make things click, we have to take you on a journey where you say, “Oh, I know what’s coming…” and then surprise you. In Chapter One, Nick purposefully introduced Hogus as a freighter Captain. And the natural expectation was, “Okay, here’s Juan Solo and his beastly co-pilot.” Hogus takes a blaster bolt to the chest in first chapter for a reason. Galactic Outlaws is familiar, but unique. Maybe Hogus was a brash rogue like you-know-who, but he’s dead now and the inexperienced youth is going to have to make her way without him.

Chapter two and three introduce Captain Keel and Ravi. Keel again has that roguish feel about him, but hopefully you’ve picked up the hints about his dark side. He’s familiar, but I promise you, what’s in store for him is unique. Ravi, who looks like an early fan favorite, is definitely the conscience of the two, but he’s limited by what he is and by who his Captain is and maybe…maybe they don’t turn around to save the hero during that final battle.

Legionnaires who can shoot and act more like Army Rangers than a third world militia. Brash smugglers wind up dead. A girl is out for vengeance instead of virtue. All of this is…familiar, but different. We hope you enjoy what’s coming because we’re full of enthusiasm. And we’re thankful for our subscribers because they’re making something special happen. –Jason

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About Jason Anspach

Jason Anspach lives in the Pacific Northwest with his wife and their six children. He is the author of the acclaimed military sci-fi hit, ,Legionnaire, the first book in the Galaxy's Edge series and the 1950's Paranormal Noir Detective Comedy series, 'til Death: The Rockwell Return Files.
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